


i wanna lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me

by spinningincircles



Series: hey baby, i think i wanna marry you [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 15:32:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13216749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinningincircles/pseuds/spinningincircles
Summary: The saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” had been hitting Alec hard lately, and knowing that Magnus was in the same city as him again turned the fondness into an ache, an overwhelming desire to touch and kiss and hold and never let go.





	i wanna lay like this forever, until the sky falls down on me

**Author's Note:**

> as always, huge thanks to [EJ](ravendreamer96.tumblr.com) for being the best beta even in the midst of exams <3
> 
> title from "truly madly deeply" by savage garden

Alec was this close — _this close_ — to taking his stele and gouging his own eyes out.

He figured something that dramatic might finally put an end to his horrible week. With hosting Institute Heads from Brussels and Zagreb, two useless meetings with the Clave, and a horde of Mantid demons found nesting in the Meatpacking District, Alec had barely had enough time to breathe in the last four days. On top of that, he hadn’t been sleeping well for the past two weeks with Magnus away at a High Warlock conference. He hadn’t noticed how much he relied on his boyfriend’s warmth to sleep peacefully until it was gone. When he finally got a chance to sit down at his desk, it was then that he felt how truly exhausted he was. His shoulders ached, his neck was stiff, and he could feel a headache beginning to bloom at the back of his skull. He closed his eyes and took a breath, resting his head on his folded arms on his desk, taking a minute to just breathe and recalibrate.

His phone buzzed next to his head, and the groan that escaped him seemed to come from deep in his bones. He sat up, steeling himself for whatever mess he was going to have to clean up (and hopefully it wasn’t literal - Mantid blood burned everything, and he was really not in the mood to lose another leather jacket). A small smile began to spread across his face, and he felt a bit of tension seep from his body once he saw who the message was from.

**[from: Magnus]** _I’m home! I just spent the last 6 hours preventing a territory war between the High Warlocks of Madrid and Barcelona!!!! Hope your day is going better than mine <333 _

**[to: Magnus]** _Glad you’re home, and glad you’ve fixed everything as usual. My day has been terrible so I can’t wait to see you tonight._

**[from: Magnus]** _Drinks at the Hunter’s Moon at 7?_

**[to: Magnus]** _Sounds perfect <3 _

Alec sighed, a little dreamily, if he was being honest with himself. They had been together for four years now, and he still got butterflies in his stomach whenever they went on a date, even something as simple as drinks at a bar they went to every week. It hit him, then, just how much he missed Magnus, despite his seemingly never ending days. They were by no means attached at the hip — they had gone days where the only times they saw each other were as they left in the morning and when they crawled into bed late at night, but it still didn’t make being apart for this long any easier. Good morning and goodnight texts were not nearly as good as hearing the words in person, laying in bed, feeling the warmth of Magnus’ skin as they whispered about nothing and everything in their own little bubble. The saying “absence makes the heart grow fonder” had been hitting Alec hard lately, and knowing that Magnus was in the same city as him again turned the fondness into an ache, an overwhelming desire to touch and kiss and hold and never let go.

He really couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend.

He checked his watch, biting back another groan. Three more hours before he could finally escape. He dragged the stack of paperwork that had been piling up on his desk toward him, hoping he could bang it all out before leaving.

He’d save the eye gouging for when he really needed it.

 

~~~~~

 

As he neared the Hunter’s Moon, Alec picked up his pace, trying to smooth his hair down against the biting November wind. There had (of course) been a Shax demon attack in Central Park right before he was supposed to leave, which ended in three injured Shadowhunters and even more paperwork that he would have to deal with in the morning. He’d gotten back to the Institute in just enough time to drop his weapons, change, and run back out, yelling back at Izzy to not to call him unless someone was dying.

He gave up on fixing his hair as he turned the corner onto the cobblestoned street. The neon lights reflected all around in the puddles of rainwater, making the street feel even more cocooned and inviting. He checked his phone — 30 minutes late — and rushed the rest of the way to the front door of the bar. He pushed the door open, expecting to be hit with the familiar wall of sound, but was instead greeted by the soft tones of acoustic guitar. Puzzled, he stepped in the doorway completely and froze dead in his tracks.

The entire bar area had been completely transformed. All of the tables and chairs had been pushed off to the side, leaving an open space in the middle of the room. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling and rows of candles covered the bar, bathing the normally shabby bar in soft, dreamy light. Alec’s jaw dropped as his eyes scanned the room, landing on the table set for two, covered in a red tablecloth and sprinkled with rose petals.

And there, lighting the last of the candles, was Magnus, glowing ethereally in the candlelight.

Alec felt his heart stall as Magnus turned, a smile lighting up his face as they locked eyes. He looked gorgeous, as always, dressed in black trousers and a maroon button-up that Alec always thought fit him perfectly, accentuating his broad shoulders and hugging his biceps. His makeup was impeccable, and his jewelry was simple, a few rings and just one necklace — the silver arrowhead Alec gave to him on their second anniversary. Alec tried as he might to get his brain to start functioning again, but he couldn’t make himself stop staring. Magnus, smirking as if he knew the exact effect he had on Alec, sauntered up to him, closed his jaw, and planted a kiss on his now closed lips.

“Hi darling,” he muttered. His eyes sparkled, a small smile still settled on his mouth.

“Hi,” Alec replied, finally shaking out of his trance. “I thought we were just getting a drink? Did I miss an anniversary or something?”

“Oh no, don’t worry. I just missed you and wanted to sweep you off your feet a little bit.”

“Consider me swept,” Alec said as he took Magnus’ face in his hands. He kissed him soundly, relishing in the feeling of Magnus’ lips against his and having his body so close again. “I missed you too. So much.”

Magnus beamed, kissing Alec’s palm as he grabbed his other hand, pulling him toward the table.

They sat down and ate and drank and chatted, catching up on all the goings on in their lives even though they talked on the phone every day they were apart. Two bowls of pasta and a bottle of wine later, they could do little more than gaze at each other, washed in the contentedness of finally being reunited. Magnus reached across the table, taking Alec’s hand in his. He suddenly seemed fidgety, restless in the way he only got when he was nervous. It was minimal, barely breaking his normally cool exterior, but Alec knew this man inside and out and could catch every one of his quirks. He smiled, squeezing Magnus’ hand a little tighter, silently letting him know that whatever was going on in his mind, he was there to listen and support him.

Magnus smiled back, seeming to understand what Alec was trying to convey. He took a deep breath and looked around the bar. “Do you remember our first date here?”

Alec chuckled. “Of course I do. I tried being smooth and good at pool but you handed my ass to me anyways. And I still to this day do not like martinis.”

“Well darling, not everyone can be as talented and sophisticated as me, I’m afraid.”

“Sure, sure, ‘talented’. I _know_ you used your magic during our game, you cheater.”

Magnus laughed, loud and sharp. “At least I’m not a sore loser,” he teased, his eyes shining as his laughter continued. Alec laughed right along with him, helpless against his contagious happiness. As they settled, though, Magnus seemed to grow even more anxious. He looked at Alec, eyes wet, though Alec couldn’t tell if they were happy or sad tears waiting to fall. He stroked Magnus’ knuckles, trying to soothe his nerves as best he could without really knowing their origin.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. What’s wrong? Did remembering my terrible pool skills make you that upset?”

Magnus breathed out another laugh, quieter this time. He dabbed at his eyes, careful of his makeup, and gazed back at Alec, his eyes filled with a steel determination Alec was used to seeing at Council meetings when a topic Magnus was particularly passionate about came up.

“I’m fine, I just- do you know how happy you make me?” Alec’s heart fluttered at the bluntness and sincerity in Magnus’ voice. He held his hand a little tighter, about to respond, but Magnus pushed onward. “400 years of living and I’ve never met someone who made me feel like heaven itself was shining on me every time they smiled, or made me want to have their laugh on a loop in my head so I can hear it whenever I want. I’ve never met anyone that was such a glorious combination of pure heart, kind soul, and biting sarcasm, and I doubt anyone else will ever compare.”

Magnus took a deep breath and raised his hand, blue magic swirling as he conjured a small, black velvet box. Alec was sure he felt his heart stop fully as his gaze flicked between the box and his boyfriend. Magnus’ gaze remained steady, eyes filled with love and adoration, a look Alec was sure had been on his own face a time or two or twenty. Magnus smiled slow and sweet as he grasped the box. “I’ve had this for a while,” he explained, “and I’ve been waiting for the right moment, but it never seemed to arrive. But then being apart for so long and missing you so much, it just made me want to do it even more. It took every ounce of my willpower to not run right to the Institute when I got home and do it then and there. You deserve better than that. You deserve the world, Alexander.”

Alec could feel tears in his own eyes now, happiness threatening to overflow from every part of him. As Magnus rose from his chair and got down on one knee in front of him, Alec couldn’t help the almost hysterical laugh that escaped him. Magnus opened the box, revealing a black band set with a circle of small amber stones through the middle that remind Alec so much of Magnus’ cat eyes. He met Magnus’ gaze then, his smile blinding as he took the ring out of the box and held it between his fingers.

“Alexander Gideon Lightwood, you are it for me. You are my sun and moon and stars, the greatest man I have ever known and the absolute love of my life. I don’t want to spend another day without you by my side. Will you please do me the honor of marrying me?”

Magnus had barely gotten the words out before Alec joined him on the floor, chair clattering behind him. He was laughing, tears finally falling as he grabbed Magnus’ face in his hands and kissed him. It was deep and delirious and still didn’t come close to showing how incandescently happy Alec was or how much he loved this man. He didn’t even register that he had been saying, “Yes, yes, of course, of course, _yes_ ” until Magnus slipped the ring on his finger, a perfect fit.

They were both laughing then, both crying with happiness, and as they kissed again, Alec wished he could freeze this moment and live in it forever. He didn’t know it was possible to be this happy, but he also knew that a life built with Magnus — his soulmate, the love of his life — would be filled with more moments like this, moments that made him dizzy with love and elation, made him feel like his heart was so full it was taking up his whole chest.

“I love you, Magnus. I love you so, so much.”

“I love you too, darling, to the ends of the earth.”

Alec’s heart sang.

**Author's Note:**

> come yell about these fools in love with me on [tumblr](tylerhunklin.tumblr.com)!


End file.
